Return of the Pearl

Qianlong hugged Xiao Yun tightly, looked at her affectionately, and promised solemnly: "Yun'er, don't worry, I have made all the preparations. When you return to the palace after paying homage to Buddha, I will officially make you my concubine."

Xiao Yun smiled gently after hearing Qianlong's words. She didn't care about the position of concubine at all. She only cared about the man in front of her who loved her deeply. She said softly, "Okay, everything is up to you."

After saying that, Xiao Yun smiled slightly, then slowly leaned on Qianlong's chest. In this warm embrace, she felt extremely safe and happy.

Just like that, they slept in each other's arms and spent a peaceful night. In this quiet night, the moonlight shone on them, as if covering them with a layer of silver gauze. Ziwei and Xiao Yun were in the same room, but Xiao Yun did not return all night. This made Ziwei keenly aware of some unusual atmosphere. Her heart was full of doubts and worries, but she did not ask, but silently hid these emotions in her heart.

Ziwei sat quietly by the bed, looking at the moonlight outside the window, with a thousand thoughts in her mind. She knew that Xiao Yun and the Emperor had a deep relationship, and she also understood how important Xiao Yun's happiness was to her.

Although she had all kinds of guesses in her heart, she chose to remain silent. She believed that Xiao Yun would tell her everything at the right time. On this quiet night, Ziwei's heart was filled with concern and blessings for Xiao Yun. She hoped that Xiao Yun could always be happy.

The next day, they set out on the journey back to Beijing together. When they returned to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, the first thing Qianlong did was to issue an edict to confer the title of Concubine Xiao on Xiao Yun, and let her live in the Jianjia Palace.

Qianlong issued another decree to grant Erkang and Ziwei a marriage, and many of the dowry items given to Ziwei were treatments that only the legitimate princesses born to the queen could enjoy. This invisibly greatly increased Ziwei's value.

In fact, this is also a kind of compensatory psychology of Qianlong. Outsiders only see Qianlong's emphasis on Ziwei, but they don't know what happened in Putuo Temple. Qianlong has already ordered to keep it secret and strictly forbid anyone to spread it.

Erkang and Ziwei were filled with joy when they heard the news. It could be considered a blessing in disguise for them. At least their marriage was finalized, and the date was set very soon.

Ziwei's wedding and Xiao Yun's consecration ceremony were scheduled for the same day. Since they were good friends, they would get married on the same day. As soon as the news came out, Shufangzhai and Xueshifu became busy, and everyone was making careful preparations for these two grand weddings.

For a moment, the entire palace was filled with a festive atmosphere. The palace maids were busy decorating the bridal chamber and preparing new clothes; the servants were busy preparing the banquet and arranging the etiquette.

Everyone's face was filled with happy smiles, as if they were blessing the newlyweds for a bright future. Ziwei and Xiao Yun were also immersed in the upcoming happiness. They looked forward to their future life, and their hearts were filled with blessings for each other and yearning for beautiful love.

As soon as Emperor Qianlong's imperial edict to confer the title of imperial concubine was issued, the concubines in the harem were in an uproar, like boiling water. At this moment, the queen woke up from her dream and finally understood why Rong Mama was punished so severely. It turned out that it was because she touched the person in the emperor's heart - Concubine Xiao!

A tremendous rage surged in the queen's heart, and that rage was like a surging wave that almost swallowed her up. Her face turned ashen, and her eyes burned with raging flames, and that rage seemed to burn everything to ashes.

She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms, but she felt no pain at all. There was only endless resentment and unwillingness in her heart. She had never imagined that Rong Mama, whom she had always regarded as her confidante, would end up like this because of a Concubine Xiao. How could she not be angry!

Yanxi Palace

From the beginning, Concubine Ling was wary of Xiao Yun. She observed everything carefully and tried every possible means to prevent it. However, despite her extreme caution, she still failed to completely prevent it.

When she first met Xiao Yun, she keenly noticed that Xiao Yun seemed to have a special feeling for the emperor, an indescribable emotional bond.

But now it seems that the truth is far more complicated than she had imagined. It turns out that they have feelings for each other. This makes Concubine Ling feel an unprecedented threat, a threat so great that she has never experienced before. She vaguely feels a huge pressure from Xiao Yun, a pressure that no one in the harem, including the queen, has ever given her.

In the harem, Concubine Ling always considered herself smart and resourceful. She had her own plans. She knew that she only had two daughters and no prince.

If no one occupies an important position in the emperor's heart, then she still has time to plan, to win the emperor's favor, and to consolidate her position in the harem. However, once someone really enters the emperor's heart and enters the emperor's eyes, then she may no longer have a chance.

Concubine Ling's heart was filled with worry and uneasiness. She knew that she was facing a huge challenge. She began to reflect on her past and think about how to go in the future. She understood that in the struggle in the harem, she could not slack off in the slightest and must work harder to seize every possible opportunity. However, facing the powerful opponent Xiao Yun, she felt a little powerless and her heart was filled with helplessness and bitterness.

The ever-changing situation in the harem made Concubine Ling feel like she was walking on thin ice. She didn't know what her future would be like, nor did she know whether she could survive this fierce battle, but she knew that she had to face it all bravely. For her own future and for her daughter, she had to do her best.

If she could not obtain the Holy Heart, her daughter would certainly not be able to escape the fate of being sent to Fumeng when she grew up. As far as she knew, most of the princesses who went to Fumeng died prematurely.

Thinking of this, deep worry and fear surged in her heart. She must do her utmost to change her daughters' fate and never let them go down such a path of no return.

Once you enter the palace, it's like falling into a deep sea of suffering. Even if you don't want to fight in your heart, you have to fight in this cruel environment, because only in this way can you survive in this treacherous harem.

Staying alive became her only belief and pursuit. She had to fight hard for the future of herself and her daughters. Even if the road ahead was full of difficulties and obstacles, she would never retreat and would never give up. She had to carve out a world for herself and her daughters in this deep palace and fight for a glimmer of hope for their destiny.